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NERVE AGENT
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A toxic gas that is inhaled or absorbed through the skin and has harmful effects on the nervous and respiratory system
Synonyms:
nerve agent; nerve gas
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("nerve agent" is a kind of...):
agent (a substance that exerts some force or effect)
poison gas (a gas that is poisonous to breath or contact; used in chemical warfare)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "nerve agent"):
VX gas (a highly lethal nerve agent used in chemical warfare; a toxic liquid that penetrates the skin or lungs to disrupt the nervous system and stop respiration; in combat VX gas is deployed by detonating a container over the target area and can persist in the environment up to several weeks after release)
organophosphate nerve agent (any of a series of nerve agents containing organophosphate compounds first synthesized by German chemists in 1936; in World War II the Germans tested them in concentration camps but not on the battlefield; Iraq is alleged to have used them against Iran and against the Kurds)
